YOU PAID FOR IT: AMBULANCE RIDES, HEALTH CARE REFORM

Posted By: Andrew Pierrotti Posted By: Michael Wooten
Date last updated: 7/30/2009 4:10:34 PM


Watch 2 On Your Side's investigative, team coverage of alleged abuse of your tax dollars.

If it's a medical emergency, Erie County 911 will respond, but there is one address many of its dispatchers know by heart.

They find Scott Graham usually waiting at that Buffalo address for his ambulance several times a week.

"Sometimes two times a day," Graham told 2 On Your Side. He suffers from Sickle Cell Anemia, a blood disorder. If left untreated, it can block blood flow to limbs and organs.

"It feels like somebody shooting me with battery acid, and I'm stepping on razor blades, and I'm having a heart attack at once," he said talking about the pain the disorder causes.

Graham doesn't have a job, insurance or car. So, when he feels bad, he doesn't call a cab. He calls 911 to have an ambulance drive him to the hospital.

A 2 On Your Side investigation found that from January 2006 to May of this year, Rural Metro Ambulance picked him up 603 times.

Medicaid picked up the tab for each ride, costing taxpayers at least $118,158.

Graham estimates he's requested even more rides. "I'd say about a thousand times."

Rural Metro and Erie County chose not to respond on camera about Graham's case. The county follows the same rules most emergency systems follow across the country. If you call, they must haul you to the hospital, no matter what your call is about.

Graham says he requests an ambulance because he can't see his doctor as much as he needs. He also says he gets help quicker by arriving in an ambulance rather than by cab.

2 On Your Side contacted Medicaid to have them look into the number of times Graham used an ambulance. Medicaid appeared more interested in how we got the information, rather than how much it cost taxpayers to pick him up.

Medicaid fraud and abuse costs $60 billion each year nationwide.

2 On Your Side contacted our lawmakers to discuss how to lower that number.

"As we look at health care reform," Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) said, "we should also look at oversight and accountability for those programs to make sure that people aren't abusing the system."

Gillibrand says cracking down on abuse should be part of the major health care reform going through Congress to force more oversight.

Take Mr. Graham's case. His trips cost Medicaid $118,000, but the government reimbursements are low. In fact, most ambulance companies lose money, up to 30% or more, when they transport Medicaid patients, because the government simply does not pay the full cost. Therefore, Mr. Graham's actual cost to the ambulance company and to the health care system in general, is much more, as high as $360,000.

Erie County Executive Chris Collins, a Republican, says government is not the answer to limiting that type of alleged abuse and waste.

"Fundamentally, inherently I think the private sector is better able to do anything and everything compared to government," Collins said.

Instead, Collins said the solution is insurance that is private and not public.

"Would the type of reform that you're suggesting here be able to crack down more on this type of fraud?" asked 2 On Your Side's Michael Wooten.

"I'm actually talking about the basic design of the program in New York," Collins said. "where fraud is something we have to look at everyday. But the actual larger cost is the actual design of the program and the fact that we took the entire menu and said we'll provide it all."

Gillibrand disagrees.

"Bottom line then, expanded government-run health care can be efficient you believe?" 2 On Your Side's Michael Wooten asked Gillibrand. "Absolutely," she responded. "Talk to your mother. Talk to your father. Talk to someone who has Medicare. They're pretty happy."

Currently, New York has a dubious distinction of having the highest Medicaid costs in the entire country, about $2,300 per person. Collins said if we had a system similar the one in California, which does not provide as much care, we would save enough money to completely eliminate the county property tax.

Stay with 2 On Your Side for more on this investigation and the latest from Washington as our federal lawmakers debate, discuss and ultimately decide on possible reform to our health care system.

Anne M. McKinney and Cir 230 ... every wonder why? Bernie Madoff says forgetaboutit!

"I read Circ. 230 says Anne, and I feel so used and dirty..." Anne McKinney shares her musical lament on one of the Infernal Revenue Service's sillier rules for CPAs and tax attorneys. Pass it on well.

PELOSI PARODY... THIS SAYS IT ALL!!!

The Texans made me do it: Texans write the best e-mails, and so many of them wrote to ask me to do a Pelosi parody. But I'm not a Republican, I'm a Libertarian. So, Democrats, send me a topic for my next song.

UNCLE JAY HEADS THE NAIL ON THE HEAD RE: HEALTHCARE ...

GUATEMALA WILL BE FORWARDING AN AIRLINE TICKET FOR HIS RETURN ... DON'T HOLD YOUR BREATH!

... and maybe a few extra dollars for court costs, interpreter, recording, expenses associated with the various police departments [incarceration] , and some consideration for additional funding for public safety of citizens in the various towns.  But wait, there's more ... under the proposed program silvering  its way through our federal government ... amnesty is just around the corner, door one, door two, no the revolving door ... so these expenses will be converted into 'virtual investments' to our Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid program ... problem eliminated.

 

Man held on charges after three previous deportations

By Melissa Bruen
STAFF WRITER

Updated: 07/24/2009 11:20:19 PM EDT

SOUTHEAST, N.Y. -- A 31-year-old man -- who has been deported to Guatemala at least three times -- is being held on a $5,000 cash bond after allegedly sleeping in a Brewster, N.Y., home.
William Mejia was arrested and charged with criminal trespassing and unlawful possession of marijuana Tuesday about 10:05 p.m., after he was allegedly found sleeping inside a vacant house along Park Street in Brewster.
Police said they were responding to a report of suspicious activity when they found Mejia.
During the booking process, he was identified as a foreign-born national, so police notified the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in accordance with department protocol.
After interviewing Mejia, ICE agents filed a detainer warrant to hold him for court proceedings, which could result in his fourth or fifth deportation.
Mejia was first deported on May 25, 2002. He was deported again Oct. 18, 2007, after spending 15 days in jail for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle in Brewster. His third deportation was Dec. 30, 2008, after he spent 90 days in jail for an assault conviction stemming from Mount Kisco.
As of Friday, immigration officials were investigating a possible fourth deportation, which may have occurred in early 2008.
"This illustrates a simple and indisputable fact that, without real action being taken at the national level of government to secure our nation's borders, these lawbreakers are merely being sent for a spin through a revolving door," said Putnam County Sheriff Donald Smith.
According to police, Mejia also has a conviction for driving under the influence of alcohol in Bedford, N.Y., in 2004.
He will face charges Aug. 10 at 5 p.m. in Brewster Justice Court.
Contact Melissa Bruen, mbruen@newstimes.com or (203) 731-3350.

Obama: 'Victory' Not Necessarily Goal in Afghanistan

The enemy facing U.S. and Afghan forces isn't so clearly defined defined, Obama explained in a TV interview

FOXNews.com

Thursday, July 23, 2009
President Obama has put securing Afghanistan near the top of his foreign policy agenda, but "victory" in the war-torn country isn't necessarily the United States' goal, he said Thursday in a TV interview.

"I'm always worried about using the word 'victory,' because, you know, it invokes this notion of Emperor Hirohito coming down and signing a surrender to MacArthur," Obama told ABC News.

The enemy facing U.S. and Afghan forces isn't so clearly defined, he explained.

"We're not dealing with nation states at this point. We're concerned with Al Qaeda and the Taliban, Al Qaeda's allies," he said. "So when you have a non-state actor, a shadowy operation like Al Qaeda, our goal is to make sure they can't attack the United States."

The United States and Afghanistan are struggling to shore up security in the country, amid increasing violence. The Obama administration this year stepped up U.S. military operations in the country as the U.S. military presence begins to wind down in Iraq.

"We are confident that if we are assisting the Afghan people and improving their security situation, stabilizing their government, providing help on economic development ... those things will continue to contract the ability of Al Qaeda to operate. And that is absolutely critical," Obama told ABC News.

Rising casualties in Afghanistan are raising doubts among U.S. allies about the conduct of the war, forcing some governments to defend publicly their commitments and foreshadowing possible long-term trouble for the U.S. effort to bring in more resources to defeat the Taliban.

Pressure from the public and opposition politicians is growing as soldiers' bodies return home, and a poll released Thursday shows majorities in Britain, Germany and Canada oppose increasing their own troop levels in Afghanistan.

Europeans and Canadians are growing weary of the war -- or at least their involvement in combat operations -- even as Obama is shifting military resources to Afghanistan away from Iraq.

The United States, which runs the NATO-led force, has about 59,000 troops in Afghanistan -- nearly double the number a year ago -- and thousands more are on the way. There are about 32,000 other international troops in the country.

The new U.S. emphasis on Afghanistan has raised the level of fighting -- and in turn, the number of casualties. July is already the deadliest month of the war for both U.S. and NATO forces with 63 international troops killed, including 35 Americans and 19 Britons. Most have been killed in southern Afghanistan, scene of major operations against Taliban fighters in areas that had long been sanctuaries.

The leaders of the largest contributors to the coalition find themselves having to justify both their reasons for deploying troops and their management of the war effort. Britain, Italy and Australia are among those adding forces ahead of Afghanistan's Aug. 20 presidential election.

They say a Western pullout at this time would enable a resurgent Taliban to take over the country and give Al Qaeda more space to plan terror attacks against the West. Some emphasize humanitarian aspects of their missions, like development aid and civilian reconstruction.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

GovernmentCare's Assault on Seniors. - WSJ.com

SO, WHAT DID YOU DO WRONG THROUGH YOU ADULTS YEARS? NOTHING!  YOU JUST HAVE HIGHER EXPECTATIONS THAN THE GOVERNMENT WANTS TO HAVE.  BONUS YEARS!  THINK OF LIVING PAST THE AGE OF 70 AS BONUS YEARS!  SO WHO NEEDS A SENIOR CENTER?

By Betsy McCaughey

Since Medicare was established in 1965, access to care has enabled older Americans to avoid becoming disabled and to travel and live independently instead of languishing in nursing homes. But

legislation now being rushed through Congress—H.R. 3200 and the Senate Health Committee Bill—will reduce access to care, pressure the elderly to end their lives prematurely, and doom baby boomers to painful later years.

The Congressional majority wants to pay for its $1 trillion to $1.6 trillion health bills with new taxes and a $500 billion cut to Medicare. This cut will come just as baby boomers turn 65 and increase Medicare enrollment by 30%. Less money and more patients will necessitate rationing. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that only 1% of Medicare cuts will come from eliminating fraud, waste and abuse.

The assault against seniors began with the stimulus package in February. Slipped into the bill was substantial funding for comparative effectiveness research, which is generally code for limiting care based on the patient’s age. Economists are familiar with the formula, where the cost of a treatment is divided by the number of years (called QALYs, or quality-adjusted life years) that the patient is likely to benefit. In Britain, the formula leads to denying treatments for older patients who have fewer years to benefit from care than younger patients.

When comparative effectiveness research appeared in the stimulus bill, Rep. Charles Boustany Jr., (R., La.) a heart surgeon, warned that it would lead to “denying seniors and the disabled lifesaving care.” He and Sen. Jon Kyl (R., Ariz.) proposed amendments to no avail that would have barred the federal government from using the research to eliminate treatments for the elderly or deny care based on age.

In a letter this week to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, White House budget chief Peter Orszag urged Congress to delegate its authority over Medicare to a newly created body within the executive branch. This measure is designed to circumvent the democratic process and avoid accountability to the public for cuts in benefits.

Driving these cuts is the misconception that preventative care can eliminate sickness. As President Obama said in a speech to the American Medical Association: “We have to avoid illness and disease in the first place.” That would make sense if most diseases were preventable. But the two most prevalent diseases of aging—cancer and heart disease—are largely caused by genetics and their occurrence increases with age. Your risk of being diagnosed with cancer doubles from age 50 to 60, according to the National Cancer Institute.

The House bill shifts resources from specialty medicine to primary care based on the misconception that Americans overuse specialist care and drive up costs in the process (pp. 660-686). In fact, heart-disease patients treated by generalists instead of specialists are often misdiagnosed and treated incorrectly. They are readmitted to the hospital more frequently, and die sooner.

“Study after study shows that cardiologists adhere to guidelines better than primary care doctors,” according to Jeffrey Moses, a heart specialist at New York Presbyterian Hospital. Adds Jeffrey Borer, chairman of medicine at SUNY Downstate Medical Center: “Seldom do generalists have the knowledge to identify the symptoms of aortic valve disease, even though more than 10% of people over 75 have it. After valve surgery, patients who were too short of breath to walk can resume a normal life into their 80s or 90s.”

While the House bill being pushed by the president reduces access to such cures and specialists, it ensures that seniors are counseled on end-of-life options, including refusing nutrition where state law allows it (pp. 425-446). In Oregon, some cancer patients are being denied care by the state that could extend their lives and instead are afforded the benefit of physician-assisted suicide instead.

The harshest misconception underlying the legislation is that living longer burdens society. Medicare data prove this is untrue. A patient who dies at 67 spends three times as much on health care at the end of life as a patient who lives to 90, according to Dr. Herbert Pardes, CEO of New York Presbyterian Medical Center.

What is costly is when seniors become disabled. In a 2007 Health Affairs article, researchers reported that surgeries to unclog arteries and replace worn out hips and knees have had a major impact on steadily reducing disability rates. And nondisabled seniors use only one-seventh as much health care as disabled seniors. As a result, the annual increase in per capita health spending on the elderly is less than for the rest of the population.

Nevertheless, Medicare is running out of money. The problem is the number of seniors compared with the smaller number of workers supporting the system with payroll taxes. To remedy the problem, the Congressional Budget Office has suggested inching up the eligibility age one month per year until it reaches age 70 in 2043, or asking wealthy seniors to pay more.

These are reasonable solutions—reducing access to treatments and counseling seniors about cutting life short are not. Medicare has made living to a ripe old age a good value. ObamaCare will undo that.

Ms. McCaughey is chairman of the Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths and a former lieutenant governor of New York state.

Copyright 2009 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved

The Government’s actions “certainly sows the seeds of SUBSTANTIAL INFLATION!”

"We're flooding the system with dollars"

"We're monetizing debt"

"We're doing all the things that lead to

that (inflation)."- Warren Buffett

If you’re holding bonds or other fixed income assets
he predicts you’ll be among the “BIGGEST LOSERS!”
You MUST act now to protect your nest egg… 

Municipal bond yields were unchanged to higher by 0.01 percentage point to 0.02 percentage point, traders said.

State and local governments bought insurance to guarantee payment on about half the $430 billion in bonds they sold last year, according to Thomson Financial data. The bond insurance units of MBIA, Ambac and FGIC have been losing that business since their credit ratings were put under review, just as fewer borrowers are opting to sell their debt with financial guarantees.

Out of $19.5 billion in long-term bond sales in January, only 28 percent was insured against default, according to Thomson Financial data.

ART AZZARITO AS BOARD OF SELECTMAN FOR THE REPUBLICAN PARTY

Art Azzarito's leadership and listening qualities needs no introduction to New Fairfield and its voters.  Art is seeking the position of Selectman on the Republican ticket and Republican voters should openly support him with their confidence and vote. The town needs his experience, the balance of seasoned prudence through experience, his pragmatism, patience and fairness in decision making.  The Board of Selectman during the last 4 years has been little more than a 'rubber stamp' unquestioningly supporting a myopic vision for the town. Art is deliberate, methodical and above all respectful of diversity of opinion that differs from his own.  He has deep abiding respect for all citizens of New Fairfield, is a parliamentrian with tremendous experience as a past Selectman, a member of the Board of Finance twice [and currently] and will bring seasoned reason of pragmatism to the long-term benefit of the town when elected to run for the Selectman’s position this November.

Art methodical researches all points of view on issues, adhering to the guidance of established policy and procedure in arriving at opinion and decision in the support of all voters. He throughly explores and considers the impact of issues before he will lend them his support. New Fairfield is in dire need of Board of Selectmen in these uncertain economic times that has the respect of all citizens.

Art is a very open person who communicates very well with the taxpayers and he is always respectful and accessible. 

Art during his Presidency of the Taxpayers Association advocated fiscal restraint and responsible budgeting with prudent expenditures.  

The town needs an advocate who has the experience of reason, is balanced by reason, provides a seasoned voice to the Board of Selectmen. 

Supporting Art as an advocate of all the citizens of New Fairfield as John Hodge’s running mate is not the expedite thing to do, rather it is the most responsible and right thing to do. 

Sincerely,

Roger C. Wise 

TOP FIVE REASONS SOTOMAYOR SHOULD BE SENT PACKING

The more the American people know about Sonia Sotomayor, the less they like her. 

In fact, the latest CNN/Opinion Research Corp poll shows that only 47 percent of Americans support her, while 40 percent oppose her confirmation. Those are terrible numbers for a judge.

So without further ado, here are the top five reasons Sonia Sotomayor should not be confirmed to the Supreme Court. After you've read this, please help spread the word by forwarding this email to your friends and family.

1. Why would Americans support a judge who believes "the right to possess a gun is clearly not a fundamental right."

2. There are also basic questions about Sotomayor's competence. In the six cases she's had before the Supreme Court, she has been overturned four times. How many Americans would get promoted if they blew two out of every three big decisions that they made?

3. Also, after Sotomayor's decision which was overturned by the Supreme Court "in Ricci v. DeStefano, that firefighters who earned a promotion can be denied the promotion merely because they are white," it's an open question whether Sotomayor can treat people of all races impartially.

4. Sotomayor also believes that judges should allow foreign law to influence their decisions: "unless American courts are more open to discussing the ideas raised by foreign cases, and by international cases ... we are going to lose influence in the world." She also said judges rightly have looked to foreign authorities "to help us understand whether our understanding of our own constitutional rights fell into the mainstream of human thinking."

5. Last but not least, Sonia Sotomayor is an unrepentant judicial activist who believes in making law from the bench. In fact, she has openly said courts are where "policy is made."

Sonia Sotomayor needs to be stopped so that a more impartial, qualified judge who believes in sticking to the Constitution can be chosen for a lifetime appointment to the highest court in the land.

Please help us get the word out about the dangerous, activist judge Sonia Sotomayor really is, please forward this email to a friend right now.

NOW IT MAKES SENSE ... OBAMA IS HE LEADING US TO THE PROMISE LAND?

Social Security audit finds dead people getting checks

Take-away: "What is it about I'm standing right here in front of you that you don't get?"  This is want happens when the government runs things!  "At Government Motors the conversation goes something like this, "Your car does what, well that's the first we heard ... get into line 73 ... and don't forget to take a number."

Now the Real Estate industry will be next. You can't sell your house because the SER rating of your appliances, furnace and insulation are not in compliance with the Federal Standards. But ... 

By Michael Doyle | McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON — The Social Security Administration has continued to pay millions of dollars in benefits to dead Americans, and other elderly U.S. residents are at risk of losing badly needed aid because they're improperly recorded as deceased, federal investigators warn in a new report.
The consequences of either bureaucratic error can be severe.
"The addition of erroneous death entries can lead to benefit termination, cause severe financial hardship and distress to affected individuals," investigators with the Social Security Administration's Office of Inspector General noted in the report, which was quietly released on Sunday.
The mistakes cost taxpayers and individual beneficiaries in different ways. Taxpayers are losing money when benefits are paid to the deceased. Individuals get into trouble when they're prematurely pronounced dead.
In Southern California and elsewhere last year, investigators analyzed 305 Social Security beneficiaries who were recorded as deceased in their Social Security Administration files. At least 140 of them were still alive.
All told, investigators say, more than 6,000 current Social Security beneficiaries are recorded as being deceased. An untold number of them are still, in fact, alive.
"There is no rhyme or reason," the Scott Nishioki, chief of staff for Rep. Jim Costa, D-Calif., said Tuesday of the recurring Social Security problems. "Often, it's probably just a clerical error."
Costa's office has handled about 10 cases in the past four years in which the Social Security Administration has incorrectly classified constituents as dead, Nishioki said. Other congressional offices have periodically confronted the same problem.
The identified problems are only a fraction of the nation's 50 million Social Security beneficiaries, and Social Security officials say they've instituted protective measures.
Social Security officials already have recovered some of the improperly paid-out funds. They further agreed to investigate "as quickly as possible based on available resources" the correct status of 6,733 potentially deceased individuals identified in the new audit.
"We will investigate the alert and follow-up systems to assess how these cases were missed by our current controls," James A. Winn, chief of staff for the Social Security Administration, said in the agency's formal response.
An agency representative couldn't be reached Tuesday to elaborate on the audit.
Those affected can feel the problem acutely even if they're still getting Social Security checks, because Social Security death records can be used by other agencies.
Several individuals told investigators that they "had to prove to the Internal Revenue Service they were not deceased before receiving a refund," investigators noted. Some sought congressional help.
"A retired beneficiary expressed a recurring problem when he could not receive funding from his private pension plan since he was declared deceased," the investigators noted. "Each time he attempted to correct the issue, the problem recurred when the pension plan updated its death information."
The flip side of the problem occurs when a beneficiary is properly designated as deceased, but the Social Security benefits continue. Payments were made to dead beneficiaries in at least 88 out of the 305 cases studied by investigators. Some of these improper payments continued for years.
For instance, a New York City resident died in April 1990. Nonetheless, Social Security checks of $1,185 were mailed out monthly, and cashed, until October 2008. Investigators have since charged a suspect with improperly taking more than $210,000 in benefits.
All told, investigators found $2 million in improper payments were made to the 88 deceased beneficiaries. In some cases, a "death alert tracking system" hadn't properly notified Social Security field offices. In other cases, Social Security numbers were transposed.
Investigators in April further identified 6,733 Social Security benefit recipients whose master files "contained a date of death." Extrapolating from their smaller sample, investigators warned that more than $40 million may have been paid out improperly to deceased beneficiaries.
As a result of the new study, at least three dozen potential criminal cases have been forwarded to the agency's Office of Investigations for further inquiry and possible prosecution.
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